Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration honoring Dr. Chuck Sexton and Lisa O’Donnell

The Board of Directors of Travis Audubon is honored to announce that the 2026 Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration will honor not one but two very deserving conservationists: Dr. Chuck Sexton and Lisa O’Donnell.

Catching a glimpse of the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler is a rite of passage for Central Texans and a travel-worthy treat for out-of-towners. We owe the privilege of seeing these delightful birds to this year’s Conservation Award honorees, two scientists who devoted their careers to studying and protecting endangered species like the Golden-cheeks.

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Get to Know Our Honorees

“As long as I can remember, I have been an advocate for underdogs.” Lisa O’Donnell naturally became an endangered species biologist in the late 1980s and has spent her time since then dispelling myths about Ashe junipers, studying local species in need of protection, and advocating that land management decisions be based on sound science. In collaboration with many partners, Lisa helped develop and implement a long-term monitoring program to evaluate population viability of the Golden-cheeked Warbler within the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, now in its 15th year. She has worked as a private consultant and for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the City of Austin.

“Through birding trips, checklist committees, general meetings, and all the rest, I’ve made many long-time friends in this organization and continue to make more. Clearly TAS is my kind of people!” Dr. Chuck Sexton became a member of Travis Audubon in 1975 shortly after starting his Ph.D. at the University of Texas, which would take him from studying urbanization’s impacts on birds to later advocating for endangered species as a wildlife biologist. Like Lisa, he has protected Hill Country wildlife through his work at the City of Austin and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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This Year’s Sponsors

Interested in sponsoring this event? Email Lisa Ramie at lisa@travisaudubon.org for details.

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Remembering Victor Emanuel

Victor Emanuel, the namesake of our conservation award, was a Texas native who spent decades studying birds and sharing his knowledge with others. He was our first Conservation Hero in 2010, recognized for his work as a pioneer in ecotourism by leading trips to birding destinations domestically and internationally. Victor passed away last March, but his legacy will endure in the people he has touched and the contributions he has made to the birding world. Read more about Victor’s legacy.

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Former Recipients

2025
Bill Bunch
Executive Director of Save Our Springs

2024
Virginia Rose
Founder of Birdability

2023
George Bristol
Texas parks and conservation advocate

2022
Camp El Ranchito
Nature-immersion summer camp & education program

2021
Greg Lasley
Photographer & naturalist

2020
Shelia Hargis
Conservationist

2019
Chris Harte
Conservationist

2018
George Cofer
Founding Chief Executive Officer of Hill Country Conservancy

2017
Mickey Burleson
Prairie conservationist

2016
Valarie Bristol
Former Travis County Commissioner

2015
Bob Ayres
Trustee of the Shield-Ayres Foundation

2014
Georgean Kyle and Paul Kyle
Chaetura Canyon stewards

2013
David Bamberger
President of the Bamberger Ranch Preserve

2012
Carter Smith
Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

2011
Andrew Sansom
Executive Director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University-San Marcos

2010
Victor Emanuel
President of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours

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About Travis Audubon

As an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society, Travis Audubon promotes the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of native birds through inclusive environmental education, habitat protection, restoration, and management, and conservation advocacy. Travis Audubon manages four wildlife sanctuaries in the Austin area, including protected habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler. Since 1952, Travis Audubon and its members have recognized the importance of preserving the ecological balance necessary for healthy, sustainable, and habitable communities, both for people and wildlife. Get involved and learn more at www.travisaudubon.org and follow on Facebook @TravisAudubon and Instagram @TravisAudubonSociety.